Jonas Van de Steene misses second gold due to bad luck in the final phase (Lochristi)

The Belgian hand bikers at the G Cycling World Cup in Ostend have crushed the opposition so far. Twice gold for Hordies, twice for Celen and until the last kilometer Jonas Van de Steene also seemed to complete the party this afternoon. Unfortunately, a mechanical defect decided otherwise, causing the Beer van Zaffelare to retire in the final phase.

Not Jonas Van de Steene – the obvious favorite – but Fabian Recher won the road stage in the MH4 class in Ostend. And that was solely due to material bad luck: a blocked wheel kept the Zaffelaar world champion from an almost certain victory. Together with the numbers two and three of the time trial and the inevitable Jetze Platt, a leading group was quickly formed from the start of the road race, which kept the entire race under control.

Jonas was without a doubt the strongest man in the leading group and was able to shake off two of his competitors, Platt and Frühwirth, in the final lap. Ultimately it seemed to be heading for a one-two with Recher – silver in the time trial after the Zaffelarenaar – but just before the last kilometer disaster struck and the world champion was sidelined with bad luck. It’s frustrating to be stranded within a breath of another World Cup victory, but that is sometimes the sad fate of top sport.

The fans who traveled will undoubtedly have seen the dominance of their idol, something that can only strengthen their belief in his current condition and abilities. More comments soon.